You Don't Need an AI Expert. You Need a Translator.

Small business owners tell me they can't adopt AI because they can't afford an AI expert. Good news: you don't need one. You need a translator.

An expert speaks in models and parameters. A translator speaks in your business: "this tool reads your invoices," "that setting keeps customer data private." The expert impresses you. The translator makes you dangerous — in the good way.

Here's the thing most vendors won't say: for the AI a small business actually uses, deep expertise matters less than clear thinking. You need someone who can map your process, ask what could go wrong, and write the rules in plain English. That's not a specialist skill locked behind a degree. It's a teaching skill — breaking big ideas into small steps.

AI governance, in plain English, just means deciding on purpose how your business uses AI: which tools, what data goes in, who checks the output. You can do that around one table in an afternoon.

So stop shopping for experts. Find the person — on your team, in your network — who explains things clearly and isn't trying to sell you something. That's your translator. That's enough to start.

I explain frameworks; I don't give legal counsel.